Lark
/lɑːrk/noun
A small songbird known for singing while flying high overhead.
Did you know?The English word lark is an old bird-name inherited through Germanic languages, and its deep ancestry is uncertain enough that scholars treat it as possibly pre-Indo-European, making it one of those everyday words whose true origin is still shrouded in linguistic darkness.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*laih(w)ô
“a lark”
Old English
OE
lāwerce
“a lark”
Middle English
ME
larke
“a lark”
15th Century
English
lark
“a lark; later, a playful outing or frolic”
Modern English
English
lark
“a small songbird; also a carefree adventure or prank”